Process for the extraction of saccharine substances.



C; L. GORGUBRA. PROCESS FOR THE EXTRACTION 0F SAGOHARINB SUBSTANCES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 4, 1907.

Patented Jan. 30, 1912.

2 SHBETS-SHEET 1.

O. L. GORGUERAJ PROCESS FOR THBEXTRAGTION 0F SAOGHARINE SUBSTANGES.

APPLICATION FILED DEC. 4, 1907.

1 015 941 I PatentedJan.30,,1912.

2 SHEETS SHEET 2.

. in a'treatment involving a particular novel cAnLos L. CORCUERA, or GUADALAJ'ARA, MEXICO.

PROCESS FOR THE EXTRACTION 0F SACGHARINE SUBSTANCES.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan-30,1912.

Application filed December 4, 1907. Serial No. 405,017.

cation.

My invention relates to the extraction of saccharine substances from vegetable. matter'containing them, as fromsugar .can'e, bagasse, mescal, beet root, etc.

The object of my invention is to provide a very efficient process for extracting the said saccharine substances with a minimum supply of liquid.

For this purpose my invention consists adjustment of temperatures and relative movement of the vegetable matter and liquid, as will be fully set forth hereinafter and particularly pointed out in the appended claims.

Reference is to be had to the accompany- I ing drawings which represent an apparatus suitable for carrying out my invention and in which- 1 Figure 1 is a longitudinal section of the apparatus,'witl1 parts broken away; Fig. 2 is a cross section taken on line 22 of Fig. 1; Fig. 3 is a diagram of the heating coils;

Fig. 4 is a side elevation of a portion of the, apparatus; and Fig. 5 1s a detail showing an adjustable crank pin connection for varying the stroke of a circulating pump.

The plant from which the sugar is to be extracted, for instance sugar cane or sugar beet, is 'first disintegrated in any suitable manner, as by means of a shredding or rasping machine Q. The slices or pieces drop on the upper run of a suitable conveyer It,

.preferably inclined upward as shown, the

said conveyor being driven from a sprocket,

Z by means of a chain R indicated in Fig. 1. The chopped cane or other plant thus reaches the receiving end E of a trough E,

which I term the diffusing trough. This trough is raised sharply at'the inlet end E as shown and also, but preferably at an incline of say about 30 degrees, at the outlet F. is shown in Fig. 2 this trough is supported by means of brackets h'on suitable shoulders formed on walls whieh-forman exterior'trough or tank in which the-above mentioned copper trough is partly gimmersed, the interior or upper trough being perforated all over, except at the portions indicated by the letters 0*0. Through these perforations the two troughs communicate with eachother, thus affording a free circulation for the juice, which in the upper trough is in contact with the plant and in the lower trough withthe steam coils H. Strengthening ribs may be rivetedto the sides and bottom of the upper trough to keep it stationary and horizontal. As may be seen by reference to Figs. 1, 2 and3, I have provided a peculiar arrangement of heating coils for producing a temperature trough to the other. For this purpose the heating coils are arranged in groups and those nearer the inlet E of the diffusing trough have a larger heating surface than those nearer the outlet F. Fig. 3' shows that the two coil sections adjacent to the outlet have the same heating surface, the next two coil sections have a somewhat larger heating surface, then again, the next two have a still larger heating surface and so on, the two coil sections at the extreme left having the largest heating surface. Each section has a separate inlet and outlet for steam suptively. lVith this arrangement it will be be obtained near the inlet E and the tem perature will decrease. graduallytoward the outlet F. For instance I may obtain a'temperature of about 95 degrees centigrade at the inlet and cause the temperature to fall progressively to 7t), 65, 60, and degrees toward the outlet F. v

The cut material which the conveyor R drops into the receiving end E of the diffusing trough is fed lengthwise of said trough by means of a conveyer J 1 running over sprocket wheels V, X, Y, Z. This con- 5 'veyer is driven by means of a chain J from a sprocket wheel I. By substituting change sprockets at I the rate of travel of thecon vcye'rs J and B may be varied at will. The i blades 3) of the conveyer J should leave a ply and return pipes H; and H respec obviousthat the highest temperature will small clearance at'the sides as indicated in Fig. 2. In some cases when theconveyer travels at a very low speed, it met be advisable to increase the width of the ladies p byiserewing on their up or parts strips of sheet copper, which shou d be perforated so as not to interfere with the motion of the liquid which travels in a direction opposite to that of the conveyor. The blades shown 10 inthc drawing maybe made of wood and it I is desirable, though not essential, that they should be perforated for the better circulatron ofthe liquid. The level of the liquid in the diffusing trough is governed by the If overflow or outlet pipe K leadin L from which the difiusion juice is conveyed by the action of the pump Sand through a pipe S to, suitable apparatus for iflefecating the juice. The cene or other substance which has been submitted to difiusion or extraction of saccharine matter in the trough drops from the raised outlet edge {1 of the upper trough onto a suitable conveyer G which feeds such material to the first mill M. The linear speed of he conveyor Gshould be equal to t at of the crushing mill. From the first crushing mill the material passes to another conveyor G and to a second crushing mill M's Any juice which drains from the elevators or conve ers GP-G as well as the poor 'uice whic comes from the first and secon mills M-M is received in a vat N,

. either directl or by means of a collecting gutter N. he bagasse is generally used as fuel for the boilers.

The vat N, besides receiving the poor juice and the drainings from the elevators G-G' also receives the condensed steam to from the return pipe H and hot water from a tank T. The additionof hot water is .not always necessary as particularly with.

su ar cane the plant itself may contain a su cient amount of juice to successfully carry out my improved treatment. The supply of hot-water may be regulated by a float P of-any well-known or approved construction.

The liquid contained in the vat N is raised by a pump 0 through a pipe 0 and discharged into the diffusion trough near its outlet end F through a pipe O The amount of ii uid fed byv this pipe into the trough should of course vary according to the character of the plant and for this purpose the stroke of the pump is preferably made adjustable, which may be accomplished by the construction illustrated in Fig. 5 where r indicates a radial groove provided in the fly wheel of the pump and m an adjustable crank pin to which the connecting rod of the pump is attached, The pump is driven in any suitable manner for instance by gearing Y from the shaft to a tank able construction it is j tracting ant em of 'tllG'SPEOClIGt X (Fi 2). It will 'thus" be seen'that the juice ed by the pump 0; travels lengthwise in the diiiusion trough from the outlet toward 'the inlet, and becomes heated to a progressively higher temperature as it approaches the inlet end E. The dintegrated plant travels in the oppositedirection under the influence of the convcyer J and owing to this arrangement a very efliclent extraction of the saccharine matter from theplant is obtained. The bottom of the outer or lower trough may be inclined as shown in Fig. emptying of this trough when desired by means of the normally closed valved pipe connection L to the lower portion of the tank L (see Figs, 1 and 4.) The apparatus is used in ditlerent' ways according. to the particular plant to be treated, the difference residing in the degree of temperature employed, the rate of speed of the various conveyors, the amount of liquid supplied by the pump 0 and the amount of water added from the tank T. As stated above, in some cases it is not necessary tosupply any water from the tank T. When mescal is to be treated it is first saccharified by heating in a suitable apparatus, is then shredded and after passing through a tritura-ting machine of any suitbrought to the conveyer R of my apparatus and treated the manner hcreinbeiore described;

I claim as my invention: '1. The herein described process of extracting sacchariferousmaterial from plants which consists in disintegrating the plants and causing them to travel in contact with an extracting liquid while positively heating them, in stages, to a progressively decreasing temperature.

2. The herein described process ofi exsacchariferous= material from plants, which consists in disintegrating the' plants, and cansingthemtotravel in one direction in contact wit-h a liquid traveling in the opposite direction, the plants, while traveling in contact with such liquid, being heated positively to a progressively decreasing temperature.

3. The herein described process of extracting sacchariferous material from plants, which consists in disintegrating the plants and causing them to travel in contact with an extracting liquid while heating them positively to a gradually decreasing temperature.

4. The herein described process of extracting sacchariferous material from plants, which consists in disintegrating the plants, and causing them to travel in one vdirection in contact with a liquid traveling in the opposite direction, the plants, while traveling in contact with such 1 to facilitate the v liquid, be-

Y plant material.

ing heated positively to a progressively de- 1 In testimony whereof, I have signed this creasing temperature, separating such liqspecification in the presence of two subuid from the treated material, subjecting scribing witnesses.

such remaining material to pressure, andre- CARLOS. L. QQBQUER turning the juice extracted by such.pres-. Vitnesses:

sure into contact with the disintegrated IGNAOIO FORKARY,

t R. AXTLE, Jr, 

